Designing for People, Cities, and Creative Resistance Designing for People, Cities, and Creative Resistance



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I’m a designer and researcher with a participatory and community-centered practice. Read more









RSA Student Design Awards
Awarded CIM Award

LASALLE College of the Arts 

2020

COHO was designed as a response to alleviate the economic insecurity of single parents in Singapore. Through research and speaking to various stakeholders, we identified the unequal access to public housing as a major stressor that exacerbates any existing economic issues that single-parents face.

‘COHO’ is a two-year transitional housing service and community that provides low-income single parent households with stable and comfortable housing at an affordable rate alongside provision of educational resources and support in order to lead them towards self-reliance.





“I remember HDB said that on an exceptional basis, on a good will gesture, we’ll give you a house. That got me upset because she is Singaporean – she should be given a house. Why do we have to say on compassionate grounds, on goodwill, to make the person feel so bad about herself?!”


Mr Louis Ng recounting a single mother’s experience applying for a rental home with HDB.



Building Layout



This diagram illustrates the layout of the first three stories of the building and how the user personas, David and Julia interact with the spaces throughout the day. The building is divided into two – the right side representing night and the left side representing the day.





How it Works 


Unlike conventional means testing, this application process takes a more qualitative approach that aims to understand the unique challenges of each family instead of depending on income caps and quantitative values. The programme also includes an educational portion that aims to empower them with practical skills through a variety of financial literacy and effective parenting workshops that they can customise according to their needs.